Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy that the long wait is over and the damn lens is finally out!

The thing I'm happy about is that Canon is moving along and getting something done. This makes me feel better about my investment in the system itself.

Sadly the lack of IS is the thing I'm not happy about. I simply can't put this much money into a lens which is only usable (for me that is) on a tripod.

Hopefully they'll upgrade the 24-105 soon so that I can get rid of the 24-70 I have now. Don't know if it's my lack of skills, the unforgiving nature of the 7Ds sensor or that the lens has issues, but my keeper rate with the MkI hand-held is nowhere near what its supposed to be.

marius

Competition is good, isn't it?!The Tamron 24-70 couldn't come better at this time.I think Canon have to make something with the price for the 24-70 II. And if this happens, then is a merit from Tamron too.

I can live without IS IF the image quality and AF are really that good and IF Canon 5D Mark III has a bigger DR and a better high ISO performance.

The only dissappointment I have with the lens is the 82mm filter size. For ,my wide angle I specifically went with the 17-40 for the common 77mm threads. Now, If I upgrade lenses to this, I will need to get several new filters adding significantly to the cost. Oh well, when we get our annual bonus in September, this lens will be high on my wish list!

Without using this lens, or reading a comprehensive review, I've decided to...

Hopefully this lens has improved optical performance and will nicely compliment a 30+MP Camera. I'll wait to see it tested. I'll probably also wait a year or so for the price to drop $400 or so like the 70-200 f2.8 IS II.

While a $1K price increase over the mark 1 version will prevent me from buying the lens, I have a feeling that once we start seeing the tests and image quality of this thing, people who make money from their images will have no problem laying out $2300 for it.